An Exclusive Interview with Mallrat

I was recently introduced to the music of Mallrat, a really cool young woman hailing from Australia. She immediately reminded me of Lily Allen, who’s one of my top ten artists of all time, so naturally I fell in love with her music and had to inquire about interviewing her. As you can see, the interview ended up happening and I’m quite pleased to present it to you today. If you like pop music that sometimes sounds like rap music then she’s sure to be your latest obsession. She’s like a younger Charli XCX or MØ, two of the artists she would compare herself to, as you’ll see below. Check out her tunes and enjoy!

I love your tunes! Thank you for taking the time to do this!

Thank you and my pleasure!

First, the obvious question: how much time do you spend at malls?

As little time as possible! Shopping centres make me sad.

Do people still use the terms mallrat often in Australia? I haven’t heard it used in years here in the Boston area of Massachusetts in the States, so I’m just curious.

No I’ve never really heard anyone say it here either! I’d only ever heard it in an American context before.

Did your friends nickname you Mallrat or did you choose the name?

I originally wanted to just use my first name for music but it was already taken by a pop star that apparently went to school down the road from me. So I had to choose something else and got Mallrat from a song by The Orwells called ‘Mallrats (La La La )”. I only watched the Kevin Smith film after I had chosen the name, it’s so good though.

I know who your publicist compares you to, but if you had to compare yourself to a few artists, who would you choose and why?

Hmm I think I would compare myself to Yung Lean, Charli XCX, Allday and MØ. It’s a fairly weird combination of artists except for that they’re all young and have a pop feel to them. That’s debatable for Yung Lean but I’d argue that his raps are very melodic and catchy.

Are you influenced by the artists you’ve just compared yourself to? If they’re just contemporaries who you’re not necessarily influenced by, who would you say your influences are?

Definitely! But I honestly listen to all sorts of music. I love punk bands like FIDLAR and producers like Flume, SOPHIE, Jack Ü. And I love pop, and I love rap. If a song makes me feel something I’ll listen to it on repeat until something else comes along. When my parents were playing music around the house it was The Jackson Five, The OC Soundtrack, and heaps of country music like Johnny Cash and Michelle Shocked. I love all of that stuff too.

The artist you most remind me of is Lily Allen. What is your opinion of her music?

I love Lily Allen so much! I was pretty much raised on her ‘It’s Not Me, It’s You’ album. She’s obviously got the coolest melodies and voice and I love her style of storytelling.

Are those My Little Pony ponies on your Soundcloud page?

Close! They’re pegasus from Fantasia, it’s this movie from the 40s that’s entirely set to Classical music. Pretty cute!

Do your parents know you’re becoming a superstar right now?

Hahaha my dad does but not sure about mum! I don’t live with her and she means well, but she really thinks I’m going to University next year.

Do you produce all of your music yourself?

Nope but I’m starting to do that more! Just trying to get really good at it so hopefully you’ll hear my production on future releases.

How old were you when you put your first track online for the masses to hear?

I was 16 when I uploaded ‘Suicide Blonde’, which was last year and one of the first songs I ever wrote.

Have you done any performing live yet?

I only just started doing live shows recently! Keen to do more and travel around the place.

Have you graduated from high school yet? Are you going to, or going to go to, college/university? If not, will you be pursuing music full-time?

I finished high school last year and right up until I graduated I though I would be going to University. I was accepted into everything I applied to but I’m having so much fun making music, I’m not really interested in anything else right now.

I understand you’re working on an EP. Will this be all new material or will your previous singles be on it?

It’s got all the singles so far plus some freshies.

When will the EP be released? What will it be called?

It’s called Uninvited and I’m actually not sure what the US release date is, yiiikesss.

I understand you’re getting airplay on Triple J, which I’m told is the biggest taste-maker in Australia. How often are they playing you?

They’re great! Pretty regularly, I’m their discovery artist this week which is cool. They’re also smashing a song I’m featuring on by a girl called E^ST, she’s so dope. Definitely look her up on YouTube!

Random/Semi-Random questions (we always ask some of these at the end of our interviews):

What was the first album you ever bought with your own money and what format did you buy it on (meaning iTunes, CD, vinyl, etc)? Do you still listen to it anymore?

Startup Cult by Allday, it’s my favourite album ever. I probably bought it every way possible.

What was the last single you bought?

Hmm I think it was One Dance, before Views was on Spotify.

What song is stuck in your head right now? Are you happy about it or do you want to forget you ever heard it?

Pick Up The Phone by Young Thug, I luuuuuuurrrve it.

If someone was giving you a million dollars and you had to donate it to charity, which charity or cause would you give it to and why?

I think I would give people scholarships or help them pay off their University fees or something like that.

An entertainment journalist for 20 years, Michael McCarthy was a columnist and contributing editor for the magazines Lollipop and LiveWire. He co-created and wrote for Cinezine, one of the '90's most popular movie E-zines. The only time he's not listening to music is when he's watching television shows and movies or reading, usually music magazines.